Tadeusz Kossak (1 January 1857 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 3 July 1935 in

Górki Wielkie Górki Wielkie is a village in Gmina Brenna, Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. Etymology The name of the village is of Polish origin and comes from the word ''góra'', whi ...

), was born into a noted Polish family of artists and writers. He was an officer in the

Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...

, a freedom fighter, and owner of a country estate in

that became a hub for intellectuals of the era. He was the father of writer, activist, and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

resistance fighter

Zofia Kossak-Szczucka Zofia Kossak-Szczucka ( (also Kossak-Szatkowska); 10 August 1889 – 9 April 1968) was a Polish writer and World War II resistance fighter. She co-founded two wartime Polish organizations: Front for the Rebirth of Poland and Żegota, set up to ...

Biography

He was the son of the celebrated painter

Juliusz Kossak Juliusz Fortunat Kossak (15 December 1824 – 3 February 1899) was a Polish historical painter and master illustrator who specialized in battle scenes, military portraits and horses. He was the progenitor of an artistic family that spanned fou ...

, and twin brother to another noted painter,

Wojciech Kossak Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a Polish Painting, painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom fighter Tadeusz Ko ...

. After the family's return to Congress Poland from his birthplace of France, Kossak attended school first in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

and later in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

. He came to prominence in 1906 when he was arrested for political activism against Imperial Russian authorities and the foreign occupation of Poland. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, in 1917, he joined the Polish Corps of Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki fighting for Polish independence. In 1922 with his wife Anna (née Kisielnicka), he moved from Kresy Wschodnie in Eastern Poland to

near

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

. There they leased from the state a country estate where they hosted many intellectuals of the period, including

Jan Parandowski __NOTOC__ Jan Parandowski (11 May 1895 – 26 September 1978) was a Polish writer, essayist, and translator. Best known for his works relating to classical antiquity, he was also the president of the Polish PEN Club between 1933 and 1978, w ...

, Maria Dąbrowska, Jan Sztaudynger,

Melchior Wańkowicz Melchior Wańkowicz (10 January 1892 – 10 September 1974) was a Polish army officer, popular writer, political journalist and publisher. He is most famous for his reporting for the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II and writin ...

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, ''née'' Kossak (24 November 1891 – 9 July 1945), was a Polish poet. She was known as the "Polish Sappho" and "queen of lyrical poetry" during Poland's interwar period.

Magdalena Samozwaniec Magdalena Samozwaniec née Kossak (26 July 1894, Kraków – 20 October 1972, Warsaw) was a Polish writer. The Kossak family is known for many artists including her father Wojciech Kossak, her brother Jerzy Jerzy is the Polish version of the m ...

, Jadwiga Witkiewicz, and her husband, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. Dwor_Kossakow_-_Gorki_-_Ziemia_Cieszynska

In 1925 Kossak published his war memoires, ''Wspomnienia wojenne (1918-1920)'' about the war against The Bolsheviks. He was also the author of a book titled "''Jak to było w armii austriackiej''" - 'How it was in the Austrian Army' - published in 1927. He died in July 1935 and is buried in Górki Wielkie.http://poryte.4lomza.pl/index.php?k Kalendarium z 7-ką w życiorysach Niepospolitego Rodu Kossaków, date accessed 2014-02-03, Janusz M. Kotowski poryte.4lomza.pl

References

* ZKS Fundacja im. Zofii Kossak
Historia dworu Kossaków (''History of the Kossak Manor'')
official webpage of the Foundation *
Kalendarium Niepospolitego Rodu Kossaków
Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Poryckiej {{DEFAULTSORT:Kossak, Tadeusz 1857 births 1935 deaths Polish independence activists Polish male writers People from Paris Polish Army officers Polish twins Expatriates in France People from Congress Poland Writers from the Russian Empire